NEET numbers could hit 1.25m in five years, Milburn warns
The number of young people shut out of education and work could surge to 1.25 million within five years unless ministers overhaul “broken” systems meant to support them, a landmark independent review will warn. Former Labour health minister Alan Milburn’s review will say the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) could rise from one in eight to one in six if nothing changes. Milburn will launch his interim diagnostic report tomorrow, with final recommendations expected later this year. He will warn that Britain faces a “generational fault line” unless it confronts “whole system failure” that has left almost one million young people NEET. Milburn is expected to say: “Six in ten have never had a job. Twenty years ago, that figure was closer to four in ten. “Detachment is no longer temporary. For too many young people, it is becoming permanent. We are at risk of a lost generation.” The review will argue that systems built to support young people from childhood to adult life – including schools – are …

